Elena Ala drives to the rim. (photo by Duane Barker)
by Andy Villanueva
(Glendora)- Returning to the friendly confines of Felix Event Center, Azusa Pacific was able to shake off its loss to Cal Baptist on Saturday with a 59-46 PacWest Conference victory over BYU-Hawaii.
With post-season aspirations in the balance, the Cougars were led down the stretch by Kelly Hardeman and Katie Powell (9 points) who scored 11-points combined in the final 10 minutes. Down the stretch APU went on a 18-5 run to shut down any hopes for the Seasiders coming from behind.
“The game was really sloppy,” said T.J. Hardeman. “Our whole focus here was defend-defend-defend. Obviously you like to score, we got good shots but when you miss shots it can get ugly.”
The closest BYU-Hawaii came was with 10:01 remaining as Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo (7 points) hit a three-pointer made the score 37-34.
The real story was the anemic shooting of both clubs that couldn’t manage to find the bottom of the net for the most of the game. The Seasiders have had their troubles in their previous three losses shooting under 35% for the game. This night was no different as they didn’t break 30% for the game. The Lady Cougars also were struggling from the floor as they shot 30% from the field and 15% from beyond the arc.
“Its all my fault,” said APU coach T.J. Hardeman. “The girls are making every shot, I just miss them. We focus on getting good shots.”
Azusa Pacific can also be thankful for their solid scoring off turnovers as they put together a 31-5 advantage.
Miriam Zabinsky continued her solid season with 13 points on the night and Hardeman led all scorers with 14 points.
The loss was the Seasiders fourth in a row after a record seven straight wins.
The Cougars finished their Hawaii road trip 3-0 before returning to face the Lancers last Saturday in Riverside.
Azusa Pacific’s next game is on Saturday when they face PacWest leading Hawaii Pacific in a 6pm tilt.
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